


nobody here knocking at my door

by kateanderson



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: A bit introspective, Cheating/Infidelity, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:21:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29789100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kateanderson/pseuds/kateanderson
Summary: Sometimes Mitch wishes he didn't feel so much
Relationships: Mitch Marner/Auston Matthews
Comments: 1
Kudos: 36





	nobody here knocking at my door

Auston is waiting outside the door to his hotel room. Foot on the wall, leaning back, phone in hand. Mitch isn't sure how he'd managed to beat them back, he must not have taken the bus. Maybe uber or a cab. He'd lost track of him after he'd burst into the locker room after the game, fired up and yelling how great they'd been, way to go boys! It had been really great. The whole team just clicked and the unspoken agreement that they had to play well for Soupy's first night back in net spurred them on. Only thing missing had been Auston, who seemed so out of place in the lockers wearing his suit and mask while the rest of them milled about in various stages of dress.

"Hey," Mitch says, giving Auston a light cuff on the shoulder. "How'd you get back here so fast?"

Auston slips his phone into the pocket of his pants. Looks at Mitch. Shrugs. "Got an uber. Felt weird being there, y'know."

He didn't really know. Mitch felt at home with the team regardless. If his leg fell off tomorrow, he'd still show up to pass out fist bumps, hugs, and chirps. The weight on his shoulders was a lot but not nearly as much as that on Auston's. The saviour of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The face of the team. The one who would finally lead them to the holy grail. AKA the Stanley Cup.

Mitch slides his card into the door and it unlocks with a soft click. Auston follows him inside. It isn't allowed. One guy per room. No socializing. But they were past the age of coach doing bed checks and as Auston said, he'd already had covid so he was probably immune or some shit and plus they were tested every day so who the hell cares. Mitch had stopped arguing after the first few nights during the first roadtrip.

"Who were you texting?" Mitch asks. He is curious. The pandemic had slowed Auston's roll somewhat but he figures that he probably still has at least one hookup in every city.

"My mom." Auston replies. He had taken off his jacket, draped it over the back of a chair. "She says 'hey'." His tie follows the jacket.

They still have several nights in Edmonton. Clearly his girl could wait. "'Hey' back, Mrs Matthews." Mitch says softly.

"Ema!" Auston shouts as he makes his way into the bathroom. 

Mitch smiles, staring at the door as it shuts. He hears the toilet flush and then water running. He strips down his boxers and sits on the edge of the bed. Auston is using his toothbrush again. He knows because the spare one he'd packed is still in his suitcase. That is definitely not in the covid protocols.

But neither is kissing. Which, he is glad Auston has brushed his teeth for. His toothpaste tastes better in Auston's mouth.

*

The last two games in Edmonton are a bust. They'd awakened the demon in McDavid and Draisaitl and Auston had had to watch it unfurl from the press box. "Fuckin' wrist." he'd muttered during his brief visit to the locker room after the game. He never showed up at Mitch's door that night either. Mitch sent him a text sometime well after midnight. He got a reply the next morning.

Auston must have been on the bus to the airport but Mitch didn't see him. He put his headphones on and pulls his hoodie up over his head, staring out the window at the passing grey and white of an Edmonton winter. It isn't until they land in Vancouver that he hears from him. A text that just says, 'lemme know your room number'.

It isn't raining, which Mitch thinks is kinda weird. It always seemed to be raining in Vancouver. Mo and Kerf are breathing deep as they wait to board the bus, claiming that their hometown air is reinvigorating them. Mitch takes a deep breath too. It smells like jet fuel and maybe a hint of sea breeze.

There isn't much time at the hotel before they are scheduled to be at the arena. Mitch tosses his things onto the other bed in the room and opens the drapes. It was raining now. Figures. He sits down in the desk chair and grabs his phone. Auston's text is still open on his screen. He knows that if he doesn't tell him his room number, he'll find out somehow anyway. 'Room 1017' and then 'Are you playing tonight?' There is no reply before they have to meet the bus.

Mitch gets his answer in the locker room when Auston joins them to suit up. Freddie is there too. Keefe goes over the lines as Mitch carefully draws a smiley face with a tongue sticking out on his glove. He reaches over for Auston's and on it he draws a heart.

They win the game easily. It almost isn't fair. The Canucks are struggling but a win is a win and it feels good. Mitch doesn't know if he'll ever get over the thrill of playing on the same line as Auston and _Jumbo_. His 15 year old self would have had a wet dream over this. JT is smiling his too-perfect smile afterward as Mo and Kerf get herded off to do media. The perks of being the hometown boys.

The guys are all fired up as they board the bus later. Doesn't matter that it's pissing down rain. Before they would have headed to a bar downtown. Maybe antagonize some locals. Instead they sit on the bus, one player per row. Mo is in the seats ahead of Mitch, he can see glimpses of his phone through the seats and the brunette with the pretty smile he's Facetiming with. Morgan and Tessa's wedding is gonna be baller. Mitch hopes Mo doesn't fuck things up before he locks her down.

Across the aisle, Zach is singing a lullaby to Theo and behind him, he can hear Willy talking in hushed tones to someone. Maybe his dog. He pulls out his own phone, thumbs it open and stares at his contact list. Steph's name is on there. Last message sent five days ago. They just aren't codependent, he tells himself. That's a good thing.

It's about a half hour after they get back to the hotel that there's a soft knock on Mitch's door. He thinks about ignoring it. Pretending to be asleep. He waits a few seconds and then pads over to the door. Auston's face is warped through the peephole, only his mustache visible. Mitch unlocks the door and Auston slips inside. It takes him five minutes before Auston's hand is on his dick and Mitch knows he can never say no.

*

Sometimes Mitch wishes he didn't feel so much. Like when Auston is texting over breakfast and Mitch scowls into his coffee when he sees a brief flash of a model's perky tits on his screen. He has no right, he knows. After all, he's the one with the serious girlfriend.

"What's her name?" He doesn't really want to know.

Auston looks up and the asshole actually shrugs, like he doesn't know. "Just someone in my DMs."

Mitch never looks at his. Disembodied boobs have never really done it for him. Or dicks. He gets some of those sometimes too. Mitch sighs and reaches into his pocket for his mask. "I'm going back upstairs." he says.

Mo sends him a text a few hours later saying that he's meeting his family in the lobby and they have Maggie with them if he wants to come down. Mitch tosses aside the remote, turning off the marathon of Say Yes to the Dress, puts a pair of pants on and grabs his mask. Mo's parents don't really excite him but Mitch can never turn down seeing a dog. 

It kills an hour, watching Mo pull up pictures of his new dog, Zoe, and showing them to Maggie. "This is your sister." he says, face entirely too serious. At some point, Auston joins the group. Mitch can feel his presence before he sees him. All it takes is Auston's heavy hand on his thigh and they're in the elevator, heading back to the tenth floor.

"It's nice that Mo can still see his family." Mitch says as he unlocks his door. "What with everything going on."

Auston doesn't reply, just shoves Mitch against the wall and covers his mouth with his own.

*

There's a message from Steph waiting after practice. Just a picture of Zeus from their walk that afternoon. Mitch sends a heart back and then, feeling guilty, adds 'miss you guys'. He does miss them. He misses the comfortable relationship they have and it's easy to come home to that. It's also easy to be away from it.

They're going out for dinner tonight. A restaurant has been reserved for the team. Mitch dresses quickly in his nice jeans and a button down shirt and then sits down because he's ready twenty minutes early. He looks at his phone. His message to Steph was read but no reply. He thinks about shooting a text to Auston but then opens his Instagram DMs instead. He chooses one at random. It's an erect dick. Apparently his hockey makes this dude hard. The one several below it is a five paragraph rant about how piss poor they played the final two games in Edmonton.

It's now five minutes too early but Mitch goes downstairs anyway. He shoves his hands in his pockets and traces the pattern on the lobby rug with the toe of his shoe. Over the next few minutes, his teammates drift down, their happy chatter filling the quiet.

They eat and drink far too much but it's been a while since they had any semblance of a night out. It's almost easy to pretend things are normal except a member of the wait staff appears at the table and she's wearing a mask over her face and the illusion is shattered. Mitch knows they'll leave a hefty tip but he still feels sorry for the staff. At the end of the table, Jumbo stands up and makes a toast to their continued success and precarious standing at the top of the leader board. JT seconds it and his face is fixed in good captain mode as he hustles them out of the restaurant and back onto the waiting bus.

"Maybe we shouldn't tonight." Mitch says to Auston when he follows him to his door.

Auston blinks a few times but then shrugs. "Sure, whatever." He pulls his phone out from his pocket and turns to leave. "'Night, Mitchy."

*

They completely blow the final game with Vancouver. Keefe is shooting daggers with his eyes after. Freddie is silent, taking the loss on himself but it isn't on him, not even close. Mitch sags down in his stall, wanting to disappear. Beside him, Auston looks like he wants to punch something. Or someone. It was just one of those games. Mitch lets himself feel too much. He knows this. He feels the highs and he feels the lows.

The bus is quiet tonight. Someone at the front coughs and mutters, "Not covid." There's a smattering of strained laughs. The rain had stopped sometime during the game and Mitch watches as the bus splashes through a particularly large puddle, sending a wall of water onto the sidewalk.

Back at the hotel they file off the bus, murmuring good nights and see you in the mornings. They have a flight back to Toronto bright and early. Mitch doesn't expect to see Auston, not after last night and after the blow out game but he isn't really that surprised when there's a knock on his door much later. Auston slumps into the room, his shoulders hunched and head covered with a ridiculous toque. "Couldn't sleep." he says and flops down onto the bed.

Mitch lays down beside him, putting his head on his chest. He hears his heart beat. Strong and steady. They aren't going to fuck tonight, he knows this now. Auston moves a bit, wrapping his arms around Mitch and pulls him closer. Tonight they just sleep.


End file.
